Cutting Out & Working Out: Getting Rid of Pregnancy Weight

Today marks 8 weeks postpartum with Jennavieve.  I gave myself a full seven weeks to recover from having a baby and get into a good groove with breastfeeding before starting to tackle the removal of excess pregnancy weight.  After four babies and one miscarriage in the last five years, my body has undergone weight gain and weight loss a lot, but never with a focus on toning my muscles and truly working hard at getting back in shape.  After my miscarriage in 2011, I did run for a few months which was wonderful.  I ended that stint of exercise by running/walking a 10-miler while 9 weeks pregnant with Mason.

September, 2011, was the last time I exercised.

Now, two years later, I'm tackling this once again. There's no better accountability, I suppose, than writing and publishing my journey for others to read.  I thought about waiting until I'd actually lost the weight, that would've been a bit easier to share publicly.  By sharing my progress, I hope that it will encourage others and help to keep me disciplined.

Confession:  I gained 58 pounds during this last pregnancy.   This is not something I'm proud of, by any means!  I had a hard time being disciplined to eat well, and I never once exercised while pregnant.  Mine is not the example to follow.

Seven weeks postpartum:  I lost 30 pounds without really doing anything.  It helped that Jennavieve was a 10-pound baby, but I'm only halfway to where I would like to be.

Cutting Out:
We've removed excess sweets and snacks from our home.  This was difficult to do, but necessary for me if I want to avoid temptation.  I also know myself well enough to realize that cutting out sugar entirely would only cause me to binge when it was available.  So, I keep frozen yogurt in the freezer and in the evenings, if I want a little sugar, I eat a few spoonfuls.

I've also been cutting back a bit on my portions.  I am breastfeeding, so dieting is out of the question.  By eating less at meal times and choosing healthy snacks I should be able to maintain an adequate milk supply and still shed the extra pounds.

Working Out:
Bradley is developing workouts for me that we do together several days a week.  We've converted half of our garage into a workout station {come back tomorrow for a DIY project that we did in this space} so that we can workout and still hear the kids should they need us.

Our workouts consist of repetitious sets targeting legs, abs, arms, and everything else, I think--at least that what my muscles are telling me!

I've also started to walk/run.  My goal is to be able to run several miles a few days a week.  Easing into this, though, is how I've heard that it needs to be done in order to keep up my milk supply.  I try to stagger jogging and walking, keeping a fast walking pace, for about 2 miles right now.  Once I'm able to jog that without stopping, I plan to slowly increase my pace and distance.

You will not see any pictures here of my 'before', but maybe down the road I'll feel comfortable enough to publish that :).  It's better with an 'after' comparison, anyway.

The cutting out and working out is not just about losing weight for me.  It's also an exercise in discipline and self-control.  I long to be self-controlled in all areas of my life; eating/exercise has always been the biggest area of struggle for me.  I want my children to have a healthy Mama who takes care of her body.

How have you gotten rid of pregnancy weight, or just weight in general?  Do you have any tips for me?

Run, Mama, Run!

I'm re-posting this post from June today to link up to Beth's party, My Favorite Post of 2011.  No, it's not a project I completed for my home, but it was a post that I wrote as an inspiration for others who don't enjoy running that they might be challenged and encouraged to exercise.  


I did run the 10 mile race I mention below, and I was 9 weeks pregnant.  For those of you who are setting new goals for 2012, may this be an inspiration and encouragement to you to start now, and you can do it!


While we were in Florida this past week, my husband found a sign for a 5K and decided he wanted to do it.   So, we got up early on Saturday morning, registered for the race, and I'm proud to say that I ran a 5K!

Here we are after:

The first time I started running was a little over six years ago, while living in Jordan.  There was an ultra marathon/marathon/10K/5K that went from the capital, Amman, down to the Dead Sea.  How could I not participate in that?  So, I began training for the 10K portion of the race and completed my first 10K, along the Dead Sea.  I haven't had any exotic running experiences since then, but I've tried to run from time to time, and have never enjoyed it!  I always love how I feel after I run, but the process is not pleasant for me.

After I miscarried Baby #3 in March, I decided that it was time for me to get back in shape.  Sure, I could fit into most of my pre-pregnancy clothes, but they just didn't fit the same.  If you've had children, you know what I'm talking about.  New bulges appear, your skin stretches out--everything sort of just shifts around.  I think I'm most sad about losing my belly button; it's no longer a goblet (Song of Solomon reference, in case you were wondering).  With both of my first two pregnancies I gained 50 pounds, and with the 3rd, I had still gained about 10 pounds by the time I miscarried.  I'm not one of those blessed women who can come home from the hospital and look like they never had a baby.  So, I still had some weight to lose and I decided it was time to do something about it!

So, how did I get started?  I set a goal:  Run a 10 miler.  Yes, it's rather ambitious, but I needed something to work toward.  Every year in my parents' town there's a 10 mile race.  I've always wanted to do it, but not being a runner it wasn't really an option.  I figured by giving myself a good 5-6 months to train I could certainly pull it off.  Plus, I have several women in my life that are my running inspirations: my mom and her friend, who are in their 50's, and run between 10-15 miles a week; a friend of mine who ran a marathon 7 months after having a baby; countless other friends who run regularly and amaze me with their discipline!

The most challenging aspect of training for me has been the heat (that and the fact that I don't enjoy running!).  Some days I'm out running and it's close to 100F!  What was I thinking?! is usually what goes through my mind on those days.  But then I hear my husband's words of encouragement that I'm being consistent with exercise, and I hear him saying that he notices I'm losing weight in certain areas, (he also mentioned that my behind was a bit firmer--come on, ladies, what husband wouldn't want that!  And what woman wouldn't want to hear that!).  And when I come to the end of my 3-mile loop, I hear my little girls yelling, "Run, Mama, Run!", and I remember another reason why I'm running.  I want to be in shape and healthy enough to enjoy them as they get older.  I want my children to see an example of a well-disciplined life, in all aspects of my life.  And so, I run.

If you've been feeling the need to get back in shape, here are my tips for you:
1. Set a goal.  You can start out small, like taking a walk once a day, 3 times a week.

2. Find a race and sign up.  Most running races have a walking portion as well, so you don't have to be a runner to do this.  Having a race that you're working toward has been a huge inspiration for me.  And if you register for it, you have to pay, so that sort of commits you!

3. Get a friend to help you.  "Iron sharpens iron..." so find someone who wants to get in shape too and keep each other accountable.  If it's convenient, walk or run together.  (Some ladies from our church here recently trained and ran a 5K together--that would be a great ladies' night out activity!)

4. Enlist the support of your husband.  When I shared my desire to get in shape with my husband, I told him that I would need his help in watching the kids.  There was no way I was going to train for a 10-miler pushing a double jogging stroller!  He has willingly and eagerly assisted!  And, I'm sure your husband would do the same!

5. Start now!  It's easy to say, "Oh, I'll do that next week, " or, "I'll wait until July so I can start at the beginning of the month."  We all know that procrastination doesn't pay off.  So, start today!


*Edited on December 27, to add the following:
I did run that 10 mile race mentioned above, and I was 9 weeks pregnant.  For those of you who are setting new goals for 2012, may this be an inspiration and encouragement to you to start now, and you can do it!

Linking to:
Home Stories A to Z, My Favorite Post of 2011